[Federal Register: September 29, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 189)]
[Notices]
[Page 57560-57561]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29se06-111]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Final Revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental
Impact Statement for Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces that a
Final Revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan (Conservation Plan) and
Environmental Impact Statement for Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge is
available for final review and comment before a Record of Decision
(ROD) is signed. This Conservation Plan was prepared pursuant to the
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, the National
Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as amended by the
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as amended. It describes how
the Service intends to manage Kodiak NWR over the next 15 years.
DATES: Please submit comments on the Final Conservation Plan and
Environmental Impact Statement on or before 30 days from the date of
publication of this Notice. A ROD will then be signed, and a stand-
alone Conservation Plan will be published.
ADDRESSES: The Conservation Plan is available on compact diskette or
over the Internet. You may obtain a copy of the CD by writing: Mikel
Haase, Planning Team Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East
Tudor Road, MS 231, Anchorage, Alaska, 99503-6199. You may access or
download the Conservation Plan at: http://www.r7.fws.gov/nwr/planning/plans.htm.
Comments may be sent to the above address or e-mailed to fws--kodiak--planning@fws.gov..
Copies of the Conservation Plan may be viewed at the Kodiak NWR
office, 1390 Buskin River Road, Kodiak, Alaska; local libraries, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office in Anchorage,
Alaska.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mikel Haase, (907) 786-3402.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act as amended (ANILCA; 16 U.S.C. 140hh-3233, 434 U.S.C.
1602-1784) requires a conservation plan for all national wildlife
refuges in Alaska. The Conservation Plan for Kodiak NWR was developed
consistent with Sec. 304(g) of ANILCA and the National Wildlife Refuge
System Administration Act of 1966 as amended by the National Wildlife
Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee).
Conservation plans provide refuge managers with a 15-year management
strategy for achieving refuge purposes and contributing toward the
mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound
principles of fish and wildlife science, conservation, legal mandates,
and Service policies. In addition to outlining broad management
direction on conserving fish and wildlife and their habitats,
conservation plans identify fish and wildlife-dependent recreational
opportunities available to the public, including opportunities for
hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and
environmental education and interpretation. Conservation plans are
updated in accordance with planning direction in Sec. 304(g) of
ANILCA, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-
4370), and Service planning policy.
Background: On August 19, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
established Kodiak NWR by Executive Order 8857 ``* * * for the purpose
of protecting the natural feeding and breeding ranges of the brown
bears and other wildlife on Uganik and Kodiak Islands.'' The Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 allowed the conveyance of about
310,000 acres of Refuge land to Native village corporations.
On December 2, 1980, ANILCA added about 50,000 acres on Afognak and
Ban Islands to Kodiak NWR and stated that the Kodiak NWR purposes
include: to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in
their natural diversity; to fulfill international treaty obligations of
the United States with respect to fish and wildlife and their habitats;
to provide the opportunity for continued subsistence use by local
residents; and to ensure water quality and necessary water quantity
within the Refuge.
Since 1994, the Service has purchased fee title to nearly 174,000
acres, and conservation or nondevelopment easements have been acquired
on more than 100,000 acres within the Refuge boundaries. Today, Refuge
boundaries encompass nearly 1.8 million acres, of which nearly 1.64
million acres (92 percent) are under Service jurisdiction.
The original Kodiak Conservation Plan was completed in 1987
following direction in Section 304(g) of ANILCA. The 1997 Refuge
Improvement Act includes additional direction for conservation planning
throughout the Refuge System. This direction has been incorporated into
national planning policy for the Refuge System, including refuges in
Alaska. The Revised Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) meets the requirements of both ANILCA and the Refuge
Improvement Act. It provides broad general direction for managing
Kodiak NWR for the next 15 years and contains the vision, goals, and
objectives of the Refuge. Except for alternative ways of addressing the
issues, this plan substantially follows the direction of the original
plan. Traditional means of access and uses of the Refuge would be
maintained under all alternatives.
Issues raised during scoping and addressed in the Conservation Plan
are
[[Page 57561]]
(1) how to manage public use, given limited access and projected growth
in demand, to continue providing opportunities for appropriate and
quality use while preventing significant impacts to Refuge resources;
and (2) what types of bear viewing opportunities should be available on
the Refuge and how should these opportunities be managed while
protecting bears and their habitats.
The EIS evaluates four alternatives for management of Kodiak NWR,
primarily focusing on four areas: (1) Protection of bear concentration
areas; (2) management of public use cabins; (3) management of camping
areas; and (4) management of O'Malley River. These alternatives follow
the same general management direction but provide different ways of
addressing the issues.
Alternative A (Current Management): Management of the Refuge would
continue to follow the 1987 conservation plan and record of decision as
modified by subsequent step-down plans, including fisheries and public
use management plans. Private and commercial uses of the Refuge would
continue at current levels. Refuge management would continue to reflect
existing laws, executive orders, regulations, and policies governing
Service administration and operation of the National Wildlife Refuge
System. Regulations would be adopted to seasonally limit public use
(only commercial users are currently restricted) of nine bear
concentration areas; to close two bear denning areas to snowmachine
use; and to restrict camping near public use cabins and administrative
facilities. Seven existing public use cabins would be maintained, two
additional cabins could be constructed, and cabins on newly acquired
lands could be managed for public use if located on appropriate sites.
Impacts at heavily used camping areas would be managed by restricting
use through regulations. The seasonal closure to all users at O'Malley
River would continue; the site would not be open to bear viewing.
Refuge lands would continue to be managed under Moderate (44,627 acres)
and Minimal (1,578,700 acres) management categories, with Special River
Management as an option for rivers receiving higher levels of public
use.
Alternative B: Much of the general management direction in
Alternative A would continue. Goals and objectives for increasing our
knowledge of wildlife and habitat needs and relationships would be
established. Public use monitoring would facilitate wildlife-dependent
recreation, subsistence, and other traditional uses. Regulations
proposed in Alternative A would not be promulgated; voluntary
guidelines for public use of bear concentration areas would be
developed. These guidelines would replace current use restrictions on
commercial users. The number of public use cabins would be allowed to
expand as demand increases, either by constructing new cabins or by
managing cabins on newly acquired lands for public use. Food storage
containers, latrines, temporary electric fences, and other minor
improvements could be provided if needed at popular camping areas to
reduce impacts. The O'Malley River closure would be modified to allow a
guide to operate a formal bear viewing program under a refuge special
use permit. The permit would be awarded competitively. Refuge lands
would continue to be managed in Moderate and Minimal management
categories as in Alternative A. The Special River Management category
would be eliminated.
Alternative C: Much of the general management direction in
Alternative A would continue, although some specific directions and
actions occurring under current management would be altered or not
pursued in this alternative. As with Alternative B, goals and
objectives for increasing our knowledge of wildlife and habitat needs
and relationships would be established. Public use monitoring would
facilitate wildlife-dependent recreation, subsistence, and other
traditional uses. Voluntary guidelines for public use of bear
concentration areas would be developed. These guidelines would replace
use restrictions on commercial users. Seasonal closure or day-use-only
restrictions could be proposed for some bear concentration areas, based
on on-going evaluation of the effectiveness of voluntary use guidelines
in these areas. Two bear denning areas would be closed to snowmachine
use by regulation. The public use cabin program would be phased out
over time. Impacts at heavily used camping areas would be managed by
restricting use through regulations. Regulations would be adopted to
restrict camping near public use cabins and administrative facilities.
The O'Malley River closure would be modified to allow the Service, in
cooperation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, to operate a
formal bear viewing program. Bear viewing permits would be awarded to
individuals by lottery. The Moderate Management category would be
reduced by 11,192 acres; the acreage in Minimal Management would
increase by an equivalent amount. The Special River Management category
would be eliminated.
Alternative D (Preferred Alternative): Much of the general
management direction in Alternative A would continue, although some
specific directions and actions occurring under current management
would be altered or not pursued in this alternative. As in Alternatives
B and C, goals and objectives for increasing our knowledge of wildlife
and habitat needs and relationships would be established. Public use
monitoring would facilitate wildlife-dependent recreation, subsistence,
and other traditional uses. Voluntary guidelines for public use of bear
concentration areas would be developed. These guidelines would replace
use restrictions on commercial users. Day-use-only restrictions could
be proposed for some bear-concentration areas based on on-going
evaluation of the effectiveness of voluntary use guidelines in these
areas. One bear denning area would be closed to snowmachine use by
regulation. Seven public use cabins would be maintained, two additional
cabins could be constructed, and cabins on newly acquired land could be
managed for public use if located on appropriate sites. Regulations
would be adopted to restrict camping near public use cabins and
administrative facilities. Food-storage containers, latrines, temporary
electric fences, and other minor improvements could be provided if
needed at popular camping areas to reduce impacts. The O'Malley River
closure would be modified to allow a formal bear viewing program
combining agency-supervised use (allocated to the public by lottery)
with guided use (offered to the public by qualified guides selected
through a competitive process and operating under a refuge special use
permit). The Moderate Management category would be reduced by 12,579
acres; the acreage in Minimal Management would increase by an
equivalent amount. The Special River Management category would be
eliminated.
Dated: September 8, 2006.
Thomas O. Melius,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska.
[FR Doc. E6-16044 Filed 9-28-06; 8:45 am]
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